This is taking me back to my childhood when I was bored and it was raining outside , I use to go into the attic and opened the old chests that my mother had stored up there ,not only there were old clothes and toys in them but old books that belonged to her when she went to school , i sat there for hours looking at the found treasures and reading her note books and looking at her drawings , neatly stalked in a corner there were old family portraits of Great grand parents dressed in Victorian dresses looking so proud and smile less . my rainy afternoons were filled with memories that will forever be in my mind . I don't remember gifts that were never appreciated then . I sure miss having a attic to go to and find hidden or stored memories that belonged to another time .

There were a lot of things in my house that belonged to my husband (car parts, old maps, old photography equip, etc.) It's all gone now, as is he (he passed away in 2011). I'd give anything in the world to have all his junk back in the house if only it meant I could have him, too. Things are just that: things.

Style

I see St. Vincent was replaced by a dream catcher...I can hardly wait for the new series of comments! I hope they stay humorous and healing at the same time...stay tuned! :-)

p.s. Who started the adjective "FUGLIEST" here...I luv it but can't wipe it from my thoughts...it's helping me do the purging of closets.........thanks!

Love the bear. My husband has an old cash register (in really bad condition) that we have moved from house to house. He thinks it is worth something but will not sell it.

SoCal Contractor has the best comment EVER! The painting makes you look like Michael Jackson?! You need to post a photo of that because it sounds so hilariously awesome. :)

Patti, that was me. I picked it up from some friends a goodly ways back. We had ways of expressing things that were rather swear word heavy and learned and reinforced ways of sanitizing them for general public and small ears. Fugly was one of those. It so fits, doesn't it?

Amen if it's causing you to thin things out!

Another one was 'it has a chance of a snowball in a microwave set on HIGH' ....

Marie Bdt.....don't throw that chair out, I'll take it! It's gorgeous! That would cost a fortune in antique and vintage shops and looks like it's covered in damask. Nice.

okdokegal- That's why i like it.....also our own "FUDGE"!! or "yes, he is full of P&V" or the well used thought to self...."Shut the door".....hm-m-m, one tries to be nice :) I Do like "fugly" !

This blog is a real mood elevator. I never laughed so hard in a long tim. I have two matching leather recliners that are uncomfortable and too large, but worse than that, they are the wrong shade of burgundy and clash with my true red aubusson rug. Would lose money if sold. Does anybody know how to remove the back of Lane recliner so I can carry it out of my living room? Tortured.

lltze, do you mean for the recliners to be useable again by being reassembled? If it doesn't matter (they can stay in pieces) 8# sledge hammer and chainsaw come to mind... I once got to help with destroying an old 'curb couch' to get it out of an upstairs/house apartment; we got a few friends, a few six packs, a crowbar and a sledge hammer, took the couch apart, opened a window, passed them onto the porch roof and tossed them onto the lawn. Then went down and made a neat stack with the trash cans for the decrepit couch to leave. Neighbors downstairs came up to help us so no complaints there.

Might try contacting Lane through a website....


Patti, I haven't heard "full of P&V" (words not abbreviated, natch) for a long long time!

Totally enjoying this thread, I still think the #1 is that half-O-bear taxidermy.

I just got a new "loathed" item. My husband came home with a "Baconator" LOL Some stupid press that keeps the bacon flat. It came with some perfect egg maker rings. He has this total fascination with "Big Lots" and comes home with all these defunct failures. Big Lots has become my most loathed store;(

Lol, Margo. If he'll make his own breakfast and the press will keep the grease from getting all over, I might be a bit less loathful, maybe...

Tell hubby then he better be using and washing that new pair of acquisitions at least weekly or else you're going to donate it to the less fortunate (thrift store), Margo

lol... how can anyone be less fortunate than that...

yah unless you give it to someone who doesn`t have the bacon to go in it

I thought for sure I came home with a new most loathed item the other day (though he will live in my new studio). However, my husband LOVES him and has named him "Harold". Harold is hanging in the dining room temporarily where he can stare down anyone who comes in the door or pulls in the driveway.

MARIE Bdt; By all means keep your cat's chair. It will be a familiar comfort spot where it will feel secure in a new home. You are so fortunate to still have your baby cat. Mine died but we treated him well and I don't regret keeping his worn out blankie he liked. Well worth keeping.

Harold has loads of personality. I think it would look good at the end of a hall. It will really get some hearts beating..from fear.

Re: taxidermy. I was recently at a Recreational Equipment Incorporated (REI) store. There were displays of taxidermy examples of all type of deer, elk, moose, coyote, ibex, mountain lion/puma, brown bear, black bear, and trophy fish. In that setting, it was very interesting to look at each one. I personally do not mind one or two examples in a mountain cabin, especially if I know the hunter AND the meat of the animal is our food for the winter. When the taxidermy gets very old, the fur will start to shed (same with a mink coat). THEN I think it is time for it to be buried.

Re: Non-operational electronics. Sometimes it is a challenge to find a responsible recycling company for non-operational electrical items such as stereo equipment, tools, and computers. I agree that they should be recycled.

Re: Recliners. There are certainly some unattractive and uncomfortable ones in existence. A brown naugahyde one leaps to mind. If you find one you like, take good care of it if it is leather. If it is upholstered and comfortable, consider getting it reupholstered with new foam/stuffing every 10 to 12 years (the same time frame as replacing a mattress).

It is difficult if the item that distresses one belongs to a spouse. Good communication and negotiation skills are very helpful in this situation.

My husband's collection of over 4,500 books on WWII history! Plus hundreds of DVDs, VHS tapes, and if that's not enough....now a model train habit with MORE books and model building for over 6 years...but no layout in sight. Yes, he has his own man cave library and it's a snake pit...I never go in if I can avoid it!

Oh, and he has 3/4 of our closet full of things he mostly never wears...thanks for letting me vent!

Just a sample...not exaggerating!

My husband insists on keeping these pieces. (I love him so I insist on keeping him.) Both are stuck in a bedroom corner and I wish they would vanish in the night. The dehumidifier was his mother's and works sporadically. There is nothing sentimental about the table. I think he keeps it simply because he knows that I detest maple.

I feel guilty complaining about two pieces after seeing Martha Green's photos. Wow! Maybe we could plan mutual burglaries?

Debsurreal that is a geat idea lol

The cat. But my mom loves it, otherwise I'd get rid of it.

houseathelake's bear and sstar's piece win everything! Oh my goodness, this is so much fun!

There are some amazing things on this thread. I think that I can live with my husband's recliner, his magazines, and minature firetrucks, his racing memorabilia and various car parts. But...it is his Firetrucks that are driving me crazy. And when I say Firetrucks, I mean REAL Firetrucks! There is a 1930 American Lefrance pumper in our barn. An old Mack in the barn. We can't park our actual cars in the barn, but have to leave them outside. Now he wants to add on a garage, and I asked him why not just get rid of the Firetrucks which don't run, and he hasn't touched in twelve years?

He got all huffy.

Thanks, I need this when my husband's cables and wires to his previous home theater stuff drive me crazy. It could be worse!

We have a traditional style house - semi modern decor & my mom went out & blew a heap of money on a really ugly vintage desk & chair! She never buys decor for the house & then suddenly this desk!?! My lil sister was so mad she bursted into tears! Yes seriously it is VERY ugly! The desk started off in a guest bed room...so we could bare it. But when visitors came - to make more room in the guest room the desk go moved into the hall "TEMPORARILY" the visitors went the desk didn't. We snuck the desk back into the guest room...week later it was back in the hall....we rushed it off to the guest room & sooner than later it appeared in the hall again! There it remains! It my biggest pet peeve in our house! Now that I'm thinking about it...I think I might try yet again to slip it back in the guest room:D

My mother in law gave us a painting for our 1st anniversary in 1981. A few months ago she was sitting in our living room watching Antiques Road Show. As the show appraised a $100K bluebonnet painting, she looked at me and said, "You know, I was really hurt when you got rid of that painting I gave you. I paid a lot for it." I told her that I never got rid of the painting! I went and got the painting. (It was in a closet.) When I showed it to her, she didn't recognize it at all. She expected bluebonnets?! I had to prove to her it was the one she gave us because it was signed by one of her former co-workers. I had tossed the African inspired, green and brown chunky carved frame long ago.

Oh my monagigi.

For furniture you don't care for, you can always paint it and remove/plane off ornate chunks that offend you.

My husband has a painting he loves of a pair of quail. It's a nice painting, pretty frame, gorgeous realistic colors. The only trouble is, it is about four foot square and the birds are probably fifty times life-sized! Those giant birds creep me out.

I had an aunt who liked clowns, they were in every room of her house, pictures as well as puppets...they always creeped me out as a kid....still don't like them.

Oh yeah, clowns (and most dolls) are way creepier than giant birds!

plastic mailbox!

oh wait, I CAN get rid of it!

for barrett: our 4 x 4 foot painting of a hummingbird....

but we both like it a lot.....

When we sold the farm I wanted to buy a townhouse (let someone else cut the grass and clear the snow, only a tiny garden for me). But hubby wanted to bring his tractor. So we bought a city house with a big yard. He still gets to use the riding mower and I still have to look after the huge gardens. He has a storage container with farm stuff he'll never use again - and the tractor! You can take the farmer out of the country, but you can't take away his stuff!

Nnigrt......I like your hummingbird! Unlike him, the quail seem somewhat......menacing.

I like the picture of the bird as well. At the risk of sounding picky, I don't think it is a hummingbird though.

For some odd reason, the bird looks like its dead...is the picture hung upside down?

yes, a bird shaped felt birdhouse (creepy looking) given to me as a gift from a special family member...

My wife's old school files that she's not used in 20 years.

My dad occasionally builds furniture for Christmas gifts. I'm stuck with it all and get almost no say in what it is or what it looks like.

Ha! I imagine almost everyone has an issue like this! My home is partially filled with stuff that I would never have chosen. But those who have gifted me with those things are still present in my life and so, I have found mainly successful ways to incorporate them into my home. That in itself could be a separate how-to-do topic, right? Still....ooooh, it's a full-of-guilt issue, isn't it?

Early on when we had our 1100 sq ft 1920's Victorian, my dad built this console table that literally did not fit on any wall we had in our home. It's a beautiful table with glossed-over preserved center wood, but it stuck out into the doorway of any room we tried to put it in. Things like that he just didn't think of, or think of asking first. Years later, we now have it in our newer home, but for a long time it sat in storage.

B T, you are so lucky to have a dad who can build. You could design furniture and let him to build for you. :-)